Whoooosh... Whooosh...
Outside the cave, cold wind was flowing in the dark night.
But the fire was there to keep the cave warm. Limbo added some firewood while he was awake.
Limbo was in a deep sleep, lost in a sweet memories.
Let's take a peek, what is making him smile even in sleep.
Come here... My cute little angel...
Come to mama.. come.
No!, not mama.
Come towards papa...
A sweet chuckles full of smiles... Big eyes, crawling on legs and pushing the earth with tiny hands.
Silver hair shining in light...
Laughing while looking forward.
Ahaha Ahhahah....
Dadada.... Dadada....
Look...look, he loves me more... Yeah!.
A loud shout full of joy burst out of the father's mouth, who was happy to hear from his child.
Look at your father....he doesn't understand what you are saying...
My baby... He's laughing and mimicking us, not him alone.
Is it?
Huh granny...?
Haha, Ronan,
You're father now, you should find yourself. This is also your duty.
A child walked towards them.
They were sitting at distance from each other. He looked at where to go...
Then, suddenly started to cry...
Uwaa.. uwaa..
They both rushed towards him together, and held him...
As they arrived at him.
That child suddenly stopped crying and held their finger. And burst into laughter and smile...
Heh hehah... The child laughed, filled the room.
Looks like he wants both, not just one...
They both turned to each other.
And exchanging looks, and began to cherish the baby...
That's our boy...
Our angel.... ----------.
No!, it's..... Limbo...
Yeah Limbo...
But then... He's eyes snapped open.
He wasn't sure why.
There was no sign of any nightmare this time. Also not any strange signals about the Alpha.
Just a feeling rise within.
He sat up slowly.
While leaning back against the vine.
Even without any strange signals and warnings, he felt something different.
Something wrong.
Meanwhile, Rin and Gaja were sleeping peacefully.
Limbo whispered, "...system."
The circuits of light flickered across his eyes.
System initiated.
Searching external signals...
Mana instability detected.
It wasn't anything related to corruption.
Not any beast.
But then what?
It was something else.
[ Unknown emotional wave detected ]
[ Classification: distress ]
Limbo blinked.
"Distress...?" What's that even mean?
Then he felt it again.
A faint sound.
Almost like—
A sob.
He froze.
At first he thought it was the wind sound.
Or maybe the sound of a bird or an animal.
But it was too soft to be the sound of an animal.
It was... Soft... And trembling.
"...help..."
Limbo stood up.
His heart was racing, not by fear, but he identified the sound.
It was a sound of crying.
Desperate and almost like someone's afraid.
He leaves the place and stops at the entrance of the cave.
Limbo turned and rushed his hands towards the Rin and Gaja.
Should I wake them up?
He saw the calm and peaceful faces in deep sleep.
Limbo tightened his fist and pulled back his arm.
"No, not yet.."
He didn't want to disturb them, in their peaceful sleep.
He stepped outside.
The forest was looking different at night.
Now, it wasn't dangerous but rather just quiet.
The moonlight was reflected in near small water pond.
"Who's there?" Limbo asked.
But no answer.
He asked once more.
This time also,
...
"...Please... Someone..."
Limbo filled with a strange feeling in the chest.
Curious...
This cry was different from the beasts he had encountered or heard.
It didn't look like aggressive.
But rather... A fragile.
Maybe a... Human?
One of his memories with his mother flickered for a moment.
Her words.
"Is there any rule that every voice has to be scary?
If that were the truth, then how could there exist prayers and songs?
Every cry is not a threat always..."
He walked forward with rushing memories.
Each step closer, but carefully.
This might be trapped.
But...
The sound started to become more and more clear.
"...help..."
Limbo's instincts were shouting.
It's not as he thinks, it's not a trap.
Now the beast.
Limbo was grinding between mind and heart.
Mind alerting for a trap possibility, heart shouted for something else.
Something may be in real pain.
He whispered again.
System track, the source of voice.
The System began the process.
Tracking emotional waveform...
.....
Source located: 39 meters east.
Warning: mana signature unknown
He ignored the system's warning, and keep moving forward.
He didn't even care that branches were scratching his arms and body.
The cold wind was blowing and moving the trees.
This time, the voice cracked.
".... anyone.... Please...."
Limbo stopped.
It wasn't coming as loud as before.
It's coming from... Underground.
Lower area than others, like he was standing on top.
The soil was disturbed.
Roots were strangely cut and twisted, broken branches.
There were many small footprints....
Too small to be alpha hunting wolves.
Or any other big beasts.
He knelt and touched the ground to check on something.
It was fresh, not too old.
Someone definitely has to have passed from her recently.
Limbo whispered while guessing, Is that whoever is a....
"Has to be a child!"
He him forward while pushing the branch forward, and he noticed something after a few steps.
Something that was shining.
Almost like reflecting a light.
A small crystal-shaped tear drops falling on the ground.
He checked it.
It was emitting the faint mana.
The moment Limbo touched it.
Flash...
A sudden wave of pain and fear rushes to his senses.
"H..help... Don't leave me..."
Limbo looked back and aside.
This wasn't an illusion.
It was something different, almost like a memory.
Alive...
This was getting weirder now.
I'm not imagining this... Do I?
He looked back at the cave again.
Rin and Gaja were sleeping, and he left without a word.
He thought he should have to wake them.
And ignore the voice.
But his heart doesn't allow that.
Whatever, he stepped forward and started to walk again.
Well... I'm coming.
Suddenly...
Voice becomes clearer and sharper.
Limbo's heart started to jump.
He started to search around the trees, but the sound wasn't coming from any direction now.
A deep silence spread across the forest.
Suddenly, a voice came.
Save me...
Mommy.... Daddy....
Aaaannn... Crying child Voice.
Limbo stood alone in the middle of the silent forest.
Behind him, inside the cave.
Something was also starting to shine—
Something strange finally woke up.
A shivering sound hit Rin's ear.
And in sleep she whispered.
"Limbo... Don't go alone."
What a coincidence.
She wasn't awake nor did she have any idea what was going on.
But...
"...Someone was out there.."
He held the crystal tight, as he had found earlier.
Whatever was calling was too far from him...
The decision was already made, and he had already gone into a deeper forest.
And the screamed.....
Aaaaaa..... Mommy....